Exit, Voice and Loyalty

Some 20 years ago I was working with a Russian colleague to assess labor market developments in Russian enterprises during the economic transition. As these firms struggled in the face of a transition to a market economy, I was struggling to get a handle on the behavior of their management, workers and consumers. Then, my co-author pointed me to Exit, Voice and Loyalty, a little book by the economist Albert Hirschman.

Published back in 1970, Hirschman’s book offered a succinct and nuanced view of human interaction in economics and politics. Economics, in particular, had tended to oversimplify decision-making, emphasizing the role of price in driving choices of consumers, managers, suppliers and others. The decision to buy or sell was mainly seen as being driven by price. But, Hirschman took note of other factors that may on occasion cause some stickiness in the way the market functions.

Consumers, for example, may demonstrate loyalty in the face of declining quality in a product and, instead of switching, may agitate for management to fix the problems. Workers in a failing firm may speak up for reforms instead of simply quitting. Members of political parties may lobby for change within, rather than changing their allegiance to a rival party. On the other hand, in other cases, these folks might simply break the existing relationship and move on. Using engaging illustrations and clear explanations, Hirschman noted conditions that may shape the paths that such decision-making might take.

Hirschman’s optimism and clear writing style made Exit, Voice and Loyalty a pleasure to read. Discovering the analytical framework laid out in the book was a real eye-opener for me. It helped me to tackle the confusing situation in the Russian enterprises that we were studying. Here is one illustration: Back in the mid-1990s, why would so many Russian workers stay on with their employers, despite being unpaid for months? Answer: They still reaped some social and economic benefits from their affiliation, like housing or healthcare. Outside of the firms, conditions could be even worse for these individuals.

Hirschman’s analytical framework also had many other applications for me. Suddenly, I found a new means to assess, for example, my own difficult employment situation at the time or to ponder the political developments in my country. From time to time I still make reference to this book, which is now more than 40 years old.

Thus, it was with some sorrow that I learned last December that Albert Hirschman had passed away. Aged 97, he had lived a long and fruitful life. Hirschman made other contributions to economics, in particular with respect to challenges of economic development in Latin America. But, it was only upon reading his obituary that I learned of his other impressive  accomplishments.

And here is the amazing part

According to the New York Times obit, Albert Hirschman was born in Berlin in 1915 and by the 1930s had advanced in his study of economics. However, he also made time to join in the Spanish civil war on the side of the anti-fascists. He later joined the French Army to resist the Nazis. After France fell, he worked as part of a team helping people escape via routes over the Pyrenees. He then made his way to the United States and joined the Office of Strategic Services to assist the US army in North Africa and Italy, as well as to serve during an early war crimes trial. And that was all before he moved to Bogota, Colombia, as an economic adviser for a few years and then launched a 30 year academic career at Yale, Colombia and Harvard.

Wow! A full life indeed! Thank you, Albert Hirschman. May you rest in peace.